No need to duck (lol)...Re: cool - thanks!

...that was a great question/concern!

The "poor" beesies are actually VERY smart and self-sufficient. If a beekeeper overharvests pollen or honey, the bees will likely abandon the man-made hive and go find a suitable place for themselves.

What I'm learning is that all hives (like the one that we'd use) have one main box called the "brood box" and other extra boxes on top of that. The brood box is just for them, and they will fill it with what they need (and the beekeeper should leave that for the bees). Once they have filled the brood box with everything they need for themselves, they will start filling the additional boxes (busy lil' bees that they are)...and that's what we can harvest for ourselves without hurting or depriving them.

Remember, all the Pooh-bears of this world have been "stealing" honey & pollen for centuries...the bees definitely know how to take care of themselves! (Well, at least, the bees can take care of themselves until evil humans start turning the plants into genetically modified, chemical laden poisons for them). That's another reason why we want a few beehives...so we can provide them lots of healthy goodness in return for all their hard-work and the blessings they give us :)

Uny